At the bar, Li Ming sipped his drink quietly while watching Skye, her eyes brimming with tears, recounting her past as if pouring out her sorrows.
When Skye mentioned that her emotional anchor was the Hawaiian hula doll Li Ming had given her years ago, he lightly tapped the counter and conjured a box of tissues for her.
Truth be told, Li Ming wasn't sure how to describe his feelings at that moment.
Back then, he had simply treated young Skye like any other kid, never going out of his way to be kind to her—even the gift he gave her had been nothing more than a trivial trinket.
Yet, he never expected that the casually given gift would make Skye remember him for so long, even turning the Hawaiian doll into a symbol of home and, by extension, viewing him as a parental figure.
Suddenly, Li Ming recalled a line from Dogma where God said: Do one random act of kindness daily.
Li Ming didn't deny that his original intention had just been to amuse Skye, but—
Was making a child forced to wander from place to place happy considered an act of kindness?
Maybe it was. Li Ming scratched his head. Either way, the fact that Skye saw him as family was ultimately a good thing for him, considering she was a long-term member of Coulson's team.
Li Ming admitted he could use Skye's help in many situations.
After a long silence, seeing Skye still grinning foolishly while clutching the magical props, Li Ming pointed at Coulson and teased, "Kid, before you keep smiling, take a look at your boss's constipated face."
Skye blinked at Coulson, suddenly realizing he had business with Li Ming. Apologizing quickly, she happily gathered the props and rushed off to find Fitz and Simmons for assistance.
Both Li Ming and Coulson could tell that aside from wanting Fitz's help modifying the props, Skye also wanted to show off that she had family now.
Coulson sighed. "Looking at your face and then at young Skye, it just feels... off. And don't you think it's a bit embarrassing to be called 'family' like this?"
Family? Li Ming felt Coulson had misunderstood something, but he didn't dwell on it, instead shifting the topic to Dr. Halliburton.
Coulson nodded in realization. "Fury sent you to check if the so-called invisibility was caused by magic?"
"What else?" Li Ming shrugged. "You think I came here just to drink?" He glanced disdainfully at the liquor cabinet. "What kind of random selection is this? Even my homemade brew tastes better."
Coulson's eye twitched. While most of the alcohol in the cabinet was mediocre, there were plenty of high-end options too.
Watching Li Ming drink as if it were water, Coulson suddenly remembered a saying Melinda once quoted: Bite the hand that feeds you.
Wasn't Li Ming doing exactly that—drinking the alcohol and then complaining about its quality?
Helpless, Coulson shook his head and checked the time. "We're almost at the location where Dr. Halliburton was taken. You should probably drink less—wouldn't want the mission to be delayed."
With that, Coulson decided to turn a blind eye and walked away from the common area.
Half an hour later, the plane landed on a deserted road under the cover of darkness.
When Coulson's team arrived at the scene where Dr. Halliburton had been taken, Coulson and Melinda were busy questioning the witnesses, while Fitz and Simmons, along with Ward, were setting up equipment. Meanwhile, Li Ming had already noticed a faint energy emanating from a certain spot on the road.
Li Ming walked over to the energy source, glanced at the small device on the ground, and smiled silently.
He already knew what the so-called invisible enemy was.
Gravity Orb—a nifty little thing that controlled gravity. In an instant, Li Ming's mind raced with thoughts on how to get his hands on the Gravity Orb, planning to use it later to modify the RV into a spaceship.
Squinting in thought, Li Ming picked up the small device and called out, "Fitz, check out what I found."
Fitz, who was still setting up equipment, glanced at the object in Li Ming's palm and hurried over with a pair of tweezers. "We don't even know what this is yet. Touching it randomly could be dangerous—"
Before Fitz could finish, Li Ming waved him off dismissively. "I know what this thing is. It's worth a fortune."
Coulson, who had followed Fitz over, looked at the Gravity Orb curiously and asked, "What is this?"
Li Ming pointed at the earwax-sized Gravity Orb and said, "This thing is called a Gravity Orb. Even in the universe, it's a valuable item." He paused, scanning the surroundings where everyone was clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, then stated bluntly, "Earth's technology can't control it yet, but I can."
"You want the Gravity Orb?" Coulson frowned. "Is this a spell component?"
Fitz, who had once attended Dr. Halliburton's lectures, interjected, "The Gravity Orb can disrupt internal gravitational fields, creating an unstable, amorphous state—"
Before Fitz could finish, Coulson cut in, "Fitz, what are you trying to say?"
Fitz glanced at the people gathered around him. Aside from Simmons, who seemed to understand, the rest looked utterly confused. He shrugged and said, "With the right technology, the Gravity Orb can manipulate gravitational fields. Sir, imagine how much it could advance space travel if we could alter gravity inside a spacecraft." Scratching his brow, Fitz added with a smirk, "So it's not just a spell component—it's also a huge boon for technological development. Of course, it's also dangerous."
Nearby, Simmons suddenly remembered something and whispered, "Sir, I recall that years ago, Dr. Franklin Halliburton and Ian Quinn co-authored a paper on the Gravity Orb and its applications."
Ian Quinn—a man who had once graced the cover of Forbes. The Gravity Orb left at the scene... Coulson fell silent for a moment before forcing a smile. "Looks like we've got trouble."
With a sigh, Coulson issued orders: "Skye, track down Ian Quinn's exact whereabouts online. Mel, be ready to take off at any moment. Fitz and Simmons, sweep the scene again for anything we might have missed. Ward and I will move unnecessary equipment back to the plane.
"At this point, Coulson turned to Li Ming and said, "I'm sorry, but I need to report the matter of the Gravity Orb. I don't have the authority to decide its ownership."
"I figured you'd contact Fury," Li Ming shrugged and said, "Not to brag, but you guys really can't handle the Gravity Orb. Even if you studied it for decades, you might not succeed. Besides, I don't want all of it—just enough for my research and to modify my RV into a spaceship."
"About two water bottles' worth of Gravity Orb should be enough for me," Li Ming added after a moment's thought. "If you end up with more than expected, I'd like S.H.I.E.L.D. to give me half. This stuff can trade for a lot of good things with other civilizations."
Trade with other civilizations? Coulson clearly understood what Li Ming was implying and nodded slightly. "I'll relay your words exactly as they are."
With that, Coulson waved his hand, signaling the team to carry out their previous orders.
Seeing that Coulson hadn't assigned him any tasks, Li Ming glanced around, confirmed there were no other energy sources, and leisurely returned to the cabin. He opened the Teleportation Door and called out, "Kreacher, bring me two beers and a plate of snacks."
Soon, Kreacher stepped through the Teleportation Door carrying a tray with two beers and snacks. Just as he was about to set it down, Li Ming closed the door and said, "Kreacher, let me introduce you to someone."
"Yes, boss," Kreacher blinked his large eyes, holding the tray as he followed behind Li Ming with small steps.
Li Ming led Kreacher to the common area and placed one of the beers in front of Skye, who was busy working on her computer. "Kid, let me introduce you to an elf."
"An elf?" Skye looked bewildered as she shifted her gaze from the screen to Li Ming, then noticed Kreacher standing behind him. She shuddered in surprise.
Li Ming chuckled and pushed Kreacher forward. "This is Kreacher, my butler. Don't let his looks fool you—he's part of the elven race and knows plenty of spells. If you get into trouble in the future, I won't help you directly—my status is a bit special. But if trouble comes for you, you can come to me or Kreacher for help."
Kreacher studied Skye carefully. After all these years with Li Ming, this was the first time he'd seen his boss introduce him so seriously. It made Kreacher feel that Li Ming valued Skye highly.
Just as Skye felt like Kreacher was seeing right through her, the elf turned to Li Ming and asked timidly, "Boss, is Miss Skye the little boss?"
Li Ming's lips twitched, and he shook his head slightly. "You know where my family is. She's just—" Mid-sentence, he noticed Skye seemed to understand the implication behind Kreacher's "little boss" remark, her eyes flickering with a hidden expectation as she looked at him.
After a moment of silence, Li Ming understood Skye's longing for family. But considering Skye's biological parents, wasn't she somewhat of an unlucky child?
"You and I are both searching for home. The difference is that I have a home I can't return to, while yours doesn't feel like home."
Sighing inwardly, Li Ming smiled and introduced, "She's only half a junior boss."
Kreacher nodded in confusion. He didn't quite understand what "half a junior boss" meant, but he grasped that as long as it didn't involve Li Ming's interests, he should take good care of Skye.
Kreacher bowed respectfully to Skye and asked, "Miss Skye, is there anything Kreacher can do for you?"
Seeing Kreacher address Skye as "Miss" rather than "junior boss," Li Ming understood that Kreacher had grasped his meaning and smiled in satisfaction.
Skye was still somewhat excited and bewildered, asking blankly, "What can you do?"
"That's a question even I can't answer," Li Ming said, waving his hand to open the Teleportation door and signaling Kreacher to return to the RV. He turned to Skye and said, "You asked the wrong question. Kreacher is a butler, one who handles everything personally. He's skilled in many things—magic, farming, gardening, household chores, especially cooking. Even Stark couldn't resist trying to poach him after tasting his food."
Skye raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Stark? Iron Man?"
Li Ming nodded, taking a big sip from his glass before grumbling, "I taught him meditation and magic—I could practically be considered half his mentor. But that guy not only eats and drinks my stuff but even takes leftovers to go. Seriously..."
Skye blinked, her eyes shining. "Uncle Austin, since you're friends with Iron Man, could you get me a few autographed photos from him?"
"What?" Li Ming asked, puzzled. "Why would you want Stark's autographed photos? What's the point of those things?"